Public Sector Governance and Service Delivery in Kano State Municipal Areas: An Assessment of the Last Mile Challenge

This study assesses public sector governance practices and their effects on service delivery in municipal areas of Kano State, North West Nigeria. Despite Kano's status as a major commercial and administrative hub, many urban residents in secondary and tertiary municipal areas continue to face deficits in water supply, waste management, road infrastructure, and educational services. The study draws on new public management theory and recent literature on urban governance in West Africa published between 2020 and 2024. A descriptive survey design is adopted, and data are collected from 250 respondents comprising civil servants, elected councillors, civil society representatives, and urban residents through structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Frequency tables and mean scores are used in data presentation and interpretation. The study expects to find that bureaucratic inefficiency, inadequate budget transparency, and poor accountability mechanisms constitute the primary barriers to effective service delivery. It also explores the role of citizens in governance processes and the impact of civil society engagement on public sector responsiveness. Findings will generate recommendations for institutional reforms, performance management systems, and citizen feedback mechanisms applicable to large urban centres in Northern Nigeria. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on urban governance challenges in Nigeria's North West geopolitical zone. Keywords: public sector governance, service delivery, Kano State, municipal administration, accountability